UFC 172 Play-by-Play: Takanori Gomi vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Takanori Gomi vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Round 1: They touch gloves and Gomi takes the center of the cage. Vallie-Flagg lands a leg kick. Vallie-Flagg closes the distance and they clinch. They separate. Vallie-Flagg lands to the body with a kick. Gomi paws with his jab. He switches stances. Gomi lands to the body. Vallie-Flagg responds with a hard leg kick. Vallie-Flagg lands a right hand. And another one. Gomi circles away. They exchange jabs. Vallie-Flagg slips while throwing a kick and Gomi follows him to the canvas. Vallie-Flagg lands elbows from the bottom. Vallie-Flagg scoots to the cage. Gomi takes his back. Gomi lands short left hands. Vallie-Flagg spins out and gets to his feet. Gomi lands an outside leg kick. He lands a right hand. Vallie-Flagg delivers a front kick to the body. He lands another front kick to the body in the closing seconds of the round. MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Vallie-Flagg.

Round 2: Vallie-Flagg lands a leg kick to start the second frame. He lands a right hand. Gomi has tape loose on his glove. It’s cut off and the fight is restarted. Gomi lands a counter right hand. Vallie-Flagg continues to throw and land kicks. Vallie-Flagg lands a right hand. Gomi lands a leg kick. They clinch. Gomi presses Vallie-Flagg against the cage. Vallie-Flagg lands a kick to the body. Gomi answers with a left hand to the body. Gomi lands a left hand to the body that hurts Vallie-Flagg. Gomi lands a left to the body. Vallie-Flagg lands a right hand. They exchange jabs. Vallie-Flagg continues to land kicks. He moves in with a right hand. Gomi lands a combination that backs Vallie-Flagg up. They clinch. Gomi separates. Gomi lands a solid right hand. Vallie-Flagg fires back. Gomi lands another right hand. Vallie-Flagg’s left eye is swollen pretty bad. Gomi moves in and they clinch. The round ends. MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Gomi.

Round 3: Vallie-Flagg presses forward. Gomi lands a left hand. Gomi goes to the body with a left hand. Gomi picks up the pace. They clinch and quickly separate. Vallie-Flagg rushes in and gets Gomi to the canvas. Gomi gets to his feet. They work for position along the cage. Gomi delivers a knee to the body. Vallie-Flagg turns him and lands knees to Gomi’s legs. Gomi reverses the position and delivers a knee to the midsection. They separate. They stand toe-to-toe and exchange. Vallie-Flagg presses forward. They clinch. Gomi lands a knee to the body. They separate. Gomi lands a stiff jab. Gomi lands an uppercut followed by a right hand. Vallie-Flagg’s face is a bloody mess. Gomi lands a left hand. Vallie-Flagg initiates the clinch. Gomi works to take the back of Vallie-Flagg. Gomi looks up at the clock. He lands knees to the legs of Vallie-Flagg. Vallie-Flagg secures a takedown. He delivers knees to the backside of Gomi. Gomi gains top position. Vallie-Flagg delivers elbows from the bottom. The round ends. MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Gomi. We’ll see what the judges have to say.

The judges scored the fight for Gomi by unanimous decision. All three scorecards read 29-28.